Less than a week after sending Ilya Kovalchuk and Anssi Salmela to New Jersey, the Atlanta Thrashers completed another deal on Tuesday night by trading former first-round pick Kari Lehtonen to the Dallas Stars. In return for the 26-year-old netminder, Atlanta receives 2006 first-round pick, defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy, and a fourth-round pick.
Lehtonen has played just one game in the NHL since last March, and has missed the first four months of this season after offseason back surgery.
It’s a nice gamble for Dallas to take, even if it does come at a very steep price. When Lehtonen has been healthy and in the lineup he’s played well, posting a career save percentage of .912. He hasn’t had a mark lower than .910 since 2005-06, which is no small feat playing on a team that, quite honestly, hasn’t been very good during his tenure. His arrival in Dallas has already sparked rumors that veteran Marty Turco is on his way out the door.
